Bynum’s knee drained again

Sunday

Jun 13, 2010 at 6:00 AM

By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Lakers center Andrew Bynum hopes having his troublesome right knee drained of fluid after Thursday night’s game for the second time in 10 days will enable him to be more effective in Game 5 of the NBA Finals tonight than he was in Game 4.

Bynum has a partially torn meniscus, but has put off surgery until after the NBA Finals.

The 7-footer said he didn’t feel much different after he had the knee drained the first time May 31, but he responded with his two best games of the Finals, collecting 10 points and 6 rebounds in Game 1 and 21 points, 6 rebounds and 7 blocks in Game 2.

Bynum’s knee buckled in Game 3, however, when Kevin Garnett ran into him, and he lasted only 12 minutes in Game 4, contributing just two points and three boards. So he asked to have the knee drained again.

“It was either not play or get it drained,” Bynum said.

Bynum said he was 100 percent sure he’d play tonight, but Lamar Odom said he was prepared to start if Bynum couldn’t.

Bynum missed the NBA Finals two years ago with a knee problem, and he’s doing everything medically possible to play this year.

“It’s been tough, especially this series,” Bynum said, “but I think I’m doing OK, the draining worked, and on Sunday, I’ll be ready to play.”

An MRI showed no more damage to Bynum’s knee.

“I’ve been able to play with the pain,” Bynum said. “That’s not the problem. It’s when the swelling is in there because it shuts down the muscles. That’s when you’re really vulnerable to more injuries.”

Bynum said his knee hasn’t swelled up as quickly after the second draining of his knee.

His teammates remained concerned, however.

“As much as we want Andrew and need him,” Derek Fisher said, “we at the same time don’t want him doing anything that’s going to jeopardize the rest of his career.”

Bynum expects the Celtics to try to force him to run up and down the court as much as possible to test his knee.

“That’s what they’re supposed to do — attack,” he said, “but I think we’ll be ready.”

When Bynum was out of Game 4, Garnett switched off Pau Gasol to guard Odom and Kendrick Perkins defended Gasol.

“He’s got the ability to displace Pau,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of Perkins, “even though that’s not part of the standards of the game, but he does move him off the post.”

Jordan Farmar’s right hand was wrapped in ice for much of the Lakers practice that was open to the media yesterday at the Garden, but he shot around for the final few minutes and said he’d be ready to go tonight. The backup guard said he suffered a bone bruise in a fall in Game 4.

Ray Allen missed the start of Celtics practice because of what team spokesman Jeff Twiss called a family matter. Twiss said Allen arrived at practice after it was closed to the media.

Just hours before Game 5 of the NBA Finals two years ago, Allen rushed to an LA hospital with his 1-1/2-year-old son, Walker who was then diagnosed with diabetes. Allen played in Game 5, then returned to the hospital.

Rajon Rondo, who has made only 4 of 15 free throws in the Finals, planned to watch video of his foul shooting after practice.

“It’s probably my rhythm,” Rondo said. “It’s obviously shocking. I don’t plan on missing them when I go up there so when I do miss it’s a shock.”

Celtics coach Doc Rivers set a goal for Rondo to get to the line 14 times in Game 4, but he attempted only two free throws and missed them both.

Perkins said he would advise Rasheed Wallace on how to avoid his seventh technical foul of the playoffs and the one-game suspension that goes with it. Perkins hasn’t picked up a T in the NBA Finals after collecting his sixth in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

“We’re just going to play our game,” Rivers said. “If it happens, it happens.”

Rivers hinted that Gasol tried to goad Perkins into committing a technical in Game 4.

“Perk did a great job of walking away,” Rivers said. “It’s clearly the new Perk. I hadn’t seen that side of him.”

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